I have a 2000 Ford Ranger 4x4 with automatic transmission and the 3.0L "flex fuel" Vulcan engine. My son recently drove the engine without oil and destroyed it.

I am looking for a junkyard engine replacement. I have been unable to find a rear drive 3.0L.... much less a Vulcan engine but I have found a multitude of 3.0L junkyard engines from Tauruses and Sables, all front drive, some with coil pack ignitions and some with distributors (my Ranger is a coil pack engine). I have been told these engines will not interchange into a Ranger for a variety of reasons all the way up to a Ford service manager who said the motor mount holes on the engine block are not the same. This really does not make sense since I do not think Ford would cast two different 3.0L engine blocs just to fit one into a front drive car. I know that the actual mounts are different but I can use the ones off of my old engine.

I can also find plenty of 4.0L engines out of Explorers but , again, I am told these will not fit. I also realize at the very least I would have to change the computer and possibly the wiring harness, which would be cost prohibitive.

Can anyone tell me ,definitively, if any will work, which years, and what all will have to be changed? I would really appreciate hearing from someone who actually has made the swap, if it is possible. The 3.0L engines look identical to me except for intake, exhaust, timing chain cover,motor mounts and water pump, all which I could take off of my old engine. Also, if I can't use a front drive 3.0L, can I transplant a non flex fuel rear drive into this truck without changing the computer? Hope someone knows for sure as I have dozens of opinions with no real hard experience.:icon_confused:

fixizin

07-16-2008, 02:27 AM

You need to do your homework/searches on this site.

IIRC, the 3.0L Taurus/Sable FWD blocks WILL work, but you need to change the head gaskets, due to coolant and/or oil flow issues... IIRC, you can ignore the computer swap, so long as you never run E85... the answers are all here in other threads in this 3.0L forum... I would search on 'Taurus', 'swap', 'short block', 'long block', etc.

As for other engines, yes, you can swap in a 4.0, and even the Explorer's 5.0 V8! (with WORK)... but only the 3.0 will bolt up to your existing tranny.

AllanD

07-16-2008, 01:15 PM

If you get an engine from a Taurus/sable/windstar AND you get one that
has a coil pack, all you need to do to make the engine run with your
flex-fuel system is use your intake, fuel rail (w/injectors) and sensors
on the "new" engine

The FWD engines do use different exhaust manifolds, accessories, etc

AND most importantly as someone mentioned the FWD engines used differnet head gaskets because of a differejnt coolant flow path through the engine

It isn't really "reversed" so much as it is "different" because in either case the coolant is sucked from the radiator by the water pump and forced into the block then up into the heads, but that's where things get different.

The volume of flow from the block to the heads is regulated differently,
because on the FWD engine the coolant escapes from the engine
(through the thermostat and back to the radiator) at the Flywheel end of the engine
On the ranger the thermostat is at the "front" (water pump) end of the engine.

In reality the head gaskets are more or less the same, but they are essentially installed "upsidedown and backwards" on one engine Vs the other.

In either case the RWD head gaskets (Aerostar/Ranger) are marked
"TRUCK" or "TRK" in 10mm tall letters in addition to the more usual
"TOP" and "LEFT" or "RIGHT" markings.

One other thing to be aware of is that if you get an Aerostar
engine the Exhaust manifolds and accessory brackets are
different from a Ranger.

Provided they aren't run without oil (or coolant) a 3.0 engine in
a Taurus typically runs for several hundred thousand miles.

AD

Gar

08-02-2008, 09:14 PM

Thanks for your info on the 3.0L Taurus V6 swap into the 2000 Ranger. I am currently in the middle of making the necessary changes to the Taurus V6 and I accidently bent one of the push rods. I thought I would rob one off of the old Ranger engine (which was a flex fuel engine) but I soon discovered the Ranger push rods were about 1.5" shorter than the Taurus push rods so now I have to find out what year model the Taurus engine is to order a new push rod and I can't find the casting number or where to go to decipher what year it is. I think it is a 1994 but I am not sure. The question then arose as to what year truck head gaskets to order for the Taurus engine. I also wonder if I could just rework the old Ranger heads and use those gaskets, heads, pushrods, and rocker arms or do I just need to find out what year the Taurus engine is, order that years truck head gaskets, and order a new push rod? Everything else seems to be a perfect fit. Even though the Taurus engine had a distributor and the Ranger has a coil pack, I was able to move the oil pump drive and camshaft sensor over to the older Taurus engine. I was also wondering if I should change the camshaft cover on the Taurus engine over to the Ranger camshaft cover? They appear to be identical once you remove the water pumps. Also, I will have to change the oil pan over to the Ranger pan to get it to fit around the four wheel drive and I plan to compare the two oil pumps while I have the pans off. Any thoughts you have on the above will be greatly appreciated. Your advice so far has been spot on!

koda6966

08-02-2008, 09:17 PM

Just take mine and buy me a 5.0
:D

evanesce69

08-04-2008, 01:19 AM

longer push rod in the taurus engine may be flat tappet cam, pre '92 i would suppose...

one addition to allan's post, if you intend to run the higher blends of ethanol fuel, this motor will show reduced performance due to it non-FFV nature. FFV engine had smaller chamber heads which raised compression a bit, higher compression = higher efficiency, thus yielding more power.

Though you may be able to run premium 93 pump gas without ever noticing the difference.

Apart from the chamber size, the heads are a direct replacement in all other aspects.

**Note: this is for the 2000 and earlier model years. In later revisions of the heads Ford went with smaller stem locks and tapered valve springs. I doubt these will be on your 2000, so the '92ish head should be fine.

Change head gaskets and use your stock 2000 accessories. You may use the 2000 model year head gasket as long as it is for a truck.

update: head # F6DE-GC heads are 7mm valves large chamber, F6DE-EB are 8mm valves small chamber.

chiloh30

08-29-2009, 09:35 AM

longer push rod in the taurus engine may be flat tappet cam, pre '92 i would suppose...

one addition to allan's post, if you intend to run the higher blends of ethanol fuel, this motor will show reduced performance due to it non-FFV nature. FFV engine had smaller chamber heads which raised compression a bit, higher compression = higher efficiency, thus yielding more power.

Though you may be able to run premium 93 pump gas without ever noticing the difference.

Apart from the chamber size, the heads are a direct replacement in all other aspects.

**Note: this is for the 2000 and earlier model years. In later revisions of the heads Ford went with smaller stem locks and tapered valve springs. I doubt these will be on your 2000, so the '92ish head should be fine.

Change head gaskets and use your stock 2000 accessories. You may use the 2000 model year head gasket as long as it is for a truck.

update: head # F6DE-GC heads are 7mm valves large chamber, F6DE-EB are 8mm valves small chamber.
Your info on the heads is correct, but you are not mentioning that the heads with casting F6DE-GA built between 1986 and 7/6/99 were also "8.0 valves", "and large 49cc" combustion chambers

ref the article in enginbuilder

evanesce69

08-31-2009, 06:55 PM

your right there too.... there are many different combinations of heads in those "transition" years, best bet is the 47cc, 7mm conical spring heads...

i'm looking for a set.... anyone help me out on this one.....

and the answer is "YES" for those wondering if i am still working on my E85 conversion.....

:icon_thumby: :icon_thumby: :icon_thumby:

Rob

whoy210

11-18-2009, 08:29 AM

I am facing the same issue.. having to use an older taurus 3.0 to replace my engine. Was this successful? My main concern was the cam sensor, even if it installs fine, would it work with the old flat tappet cam?